Best Drop Weight String Machine around $500 to $800

i use this one http://www.stringway-nl.com/USA/
fastest i've strung a racket is roughly 45mins not bad for drop weight and double pulling each string

 

I am waiting for Peter the Great (Who is still on LSD) to provide his input. He is best source and most knowledgeable on all type of string machine. Take his advice

 

PS, Master D made a very good suggestion...

 

John, if you just pull the slack a little tighter before you tension the string, you won't have to pull twice, you can just leave it in the gripper slightly longer.

I personally prefer a hold down system, and those are a little rare for a good dropweight. That would place the Alpha Pioneer DC Plus on my short list.

 

It's hard to find a hold down system anymore, because suspension mounting is all the rage right now. I looked up your Alpha Pioneer DC Plus and it seems i've misunderstood what hold-down means, because I was thinking of supports like the ones on a klippermate, whereas the pic I found of the APDCP from alpha's website looks like the suspension mounting on my Gamma 600 ELS

 

No the APDCP isn't a hold down. However, I'm not sure if there's anything better I can recommend, because like you say, suspension is all the rage now.

The few good hold down machines I know would be manual or electric.

 

i prestretch and double pull, even with tight slack (1st pull) and adjust slack (2nd pull) to get an leveled dropweight bar even with the "same tension at any level" technology because i'm used to doing that with my klippermate before. *bad habit or obessesion with consistancy you pick

 

The Stringway is absolutely solid but mounting a frame is very harsh on fingers. The tensioner is very quick compared to other drop weight system.

The OP might consider an Eagnas Easy 3 and find a way to attach the Stringway tensioner, given his budget constraint of $800 max.

Any other thoughts guys?

 

Yeap, the Stringway/LaserFibre tensioner requires two pulls, maximum, per string.

 

OP, if you're not too concerned about the time it takes to string one racket and portability isnt a big issue (assuming you're not gonna run around club to club with it) then i think stringway/laserfibre is your machine

definitely drop-weight will yield a longer lasting tension

 

No what I'm saying, after a while, you'll learn to just pull extremely tight with your hands and on the first pull, the bar will level. I think it takes some callousing first before this can be done consistently though.

As much as I am happy with my Laserfibre/Stringway, I didn't really recommend it because I feel like badminton was really an afterthought. Still can't clamp the last string as well as I'd like sometimes. Plus the mounting system was made in "finger hell".

 

If I have that budget, I would go for a used prince neos 1000.

In meantime, a gamma x-2 + 4 klippermate badminton holding plate + two hi-quan fly clamp(220 dollar),works perfectaly. Highest tension I would go is 26/29.

 

I concur with the fellow Stringway/Laserfibre repliers. I also own this machine...but it takes me about 1-1.5 hrs to string a racket (i'm watching tv). I only double pull if i really have to..but most of the time i just leave the string on the tensioner a bit longer. I find the machine pretty low maintenance. As a note...top-down stringing is probably the best option for doing the crosses.

FYI: My setup is the ML 100 (Laser fibre: MS200TT) + double action fixed clamps (T92) + additional O92 mounting plate to use for the head of the badminton racket

 

Incidentally, I believe there is a Prince Neos 1000 in the Buy and Sell forums right now. Don't remeber what region though.

 

Also the most conventional 6 point suspension machines can be converted to a hold down by getting the hold down mounts from AEF.